Greatest Hits

Sometimes it seems like not a year passes without a new Glen Campbell hits collection, and the simply titled Greatest Hits -- a title that has been used in some iteration at least ten times since 1971, probably more -- is the 2009 installment in this plan. The impetus for this Greatest Hits is the growth in digital releases (the collection issued both on CD and digitally), as well as the desire to capitalize on his fine 2008 comeback, Meet Glen Campbell, represented here by readings of the Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" and Jackson Browne's "These Days," which nicely cap a collection of basics, 14 songs that appear on pretty much any other Campbell collection released in the past four decades or so. As an introduction, it's clean and lean, offering all of the big hits ("Rhinestone Cowboy," "Wichita Lineman," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," etc.), which will appeal to new listeners perhaps hooked by Meet Glen Campbell -- and conversely, old fans may be enticed by the two new cuts. However, this is nothing more than basics: there are compilations that are more comprehensive and interesting out there for those who are interested -- but for those who just want the hits, this has them.